While I strongly believe that someone needs to be kicked off from a team for acts of violence or possession of weapons or for sellling or distributing drugs, and (usually) for theft or other crimes against others, I've never believed that someone ought to be kicked out / kicked off a team for possession of a drug in a small amount for personal use. While at Northwestern, I can name 50+ persons, along with myself some 30 years ago, who used powdered cocaine in the amount possessed by Washington. We were immature and, speaking for myself, had no appreciation of the severity of the consequences had I been unlucky to have been caught. I did not use after college and myself and the 10 or so of my friends who had used who I remain in some form of contact today have, and continue to contribute positively to society. I am not condemning those who think differently than I do with regard to the fact that college is a time for kids to experiment and learn from their mistakes, but I simply believe the consequences discussed by some are grossly disproportionate to the misbehavior. I do think that Washington deserves to suffer some adverse consequences, including a suspension from at least 1-2 games (or the entire preseason), but do not agree with those that are calling for more servere sanctions given that there is no evidence that he intended to, or did, harm any other person, attempted to sell drugs, or even deprived another of their property.
